Naoki Yoshida, producer and director of Final Fantasy 14, has apologized after it was discovered that the game's new housing lottery system was broken and promised that the team was "prioritizing our investigation into the matter".
It became apparent that the new feature - which came into the game as part of the recent 6.1 Patch - was malfunctioning when some players participating in lotteries received messages informing them that they were unsuccessful because there "were no participants in this lottery", and others were told the winning lottery number was "0", even though that number was unassignable, and no player could select it.
"I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused by the issue with the housing lottery system," Yoshida said in a statement on the official website. "Allow me to explain the current situation and our next steps as we investigate the problem.
Notices : EU: Housing Lottery System Issue (Apr. 16): Follow-up https://t.co/k0LxekJzX4 #FFXIVApril 16, 2022
"Firstly, we understand that this is a major issue, and are prioritizing our investigation into the matter. We are working to identify the issue in the corresponding program; however, as the process is very complex and there are many patterns involved for the lottery conditions, it will require some time to pinpoint the problem," he added.
After asking for players' "patience a little while longer as [the team] focus[es] our efforts on the investigation", Yoshida said that the result announcement period - originally set to end on Wednesday, April 20 - will now be extended, and the game will hold off entering the next lottery cycle until the "investigation is complete and the situation is addressed".
"We apologize for the inconvenience this is causing to our players," the statement ends. "We will continue to work on identifying the cause of the issue and addressing it so that the lottery system correctly determines the winner and displays the proper results."
If you're intrigued by Final Fantasy 14 and have yet to give the MMO a go, don't forget that free trials are now back after they - along with digital sales of the main game and expansions, too - were temporarily suspended in order to keep up with the incredibly high demand towards the end of last year. And if you're in need of a Final Fantasy 14 story recap, here's everything that transpired from the start of A Realm Reborn to the finale of Shadowbringers. You're welcome.
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